Brewery and beer Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

When planning your brewery project, a lot of questions come to mind. SBM assigns you a project manager that will assist you with your project from start to finish and will facilitate the process by being your sole contact. Meanwhile you might however already have brewing questions and practical issues.
Below you will find a list of frequently asked questions.

Q: What utilities do I need for a brewery?Typically water, electricity and drains are needed.

In general 2 and 3 phase electricity is needed and can be 110/220/380 at 50/60Hz.

The size of the water connection is determined by the size of the brewery but for most projects 5.000 liter (=1,250 gallon) of water per hour with a pressure of 3 bar (=45psi) is sufficient.

For your steam boiler a natural gas connection or a tank with light oil will be needed.

Because of the temperature, steel pipe drains are preferred in a brewery and sufficient drains are always handy.

For brewery project we provide our customers with detailed requirement on the utilities and their respective location. [top of page]

Q: Do I need to be a brewer in order to start a brewery?

No, SBM can train you or one of your employees to learn how to brew. We will teach you all aspects of brewing, familiarize you with your brewery equipment, help you with recipes, quality control,…

SBM offers a wide variety of services such as installation, training, after sales services,… [top of page]

Q: Where do I get my ingredients and packaging materials from?

One of the services SBM can provide is to assist its clients with local or international contacts for raw materials and packaging materials.

For ingredients that would be hard to find locally we can make arrangements to have them shipped to you. [top of page]

Q: What about recipes?

Based on your wishes and/or the local market we will provide you with recipes, brewing instructions and yeast strains for the beer(s) you plan on brewing.

During training we usually brew these beers with your future brewmaster. [top of page]

Q: How long does it take to deliver a brewery?

Typically it takes about 3 months to manufacture a brewery. Depending on the size of the brewery, the amount of custom designed equipment, our general workload and the way of shipping this period can be shorter or longer. [top of page]

Q: What is the return on investment on a brewery?

A well planned project backed with the necessary market research and feasibility studies can be very profitable and can yield a relatively short return on investment. Crucial factors here are volume, labor cost and sales margin. Download the feasibility studies for microbreweries or brew pubs from our website. [top of page]

Q: How long does the equipment last?

Given the fact that most elements in a brewery are made of stainless steel, the longevity of a brewery is high. Given proper maintenance and the careful use of chemicals, a brewery can be used intensively for about 20 to 30 years. For some elements such as fillers and labelers with a lot of moving parts a shorter lifespan should be considered and more maintenance will be necessary, depending on the use. [top of page]

Q: Can you help me with my entire brewery project or are there aspects you do not cover?

Our mission is to assist our clients with their brewing needs from start to finish and build a long-term relationship with them. We can help you with all aspects of your brewing need or work with one of our partners to accommodate your needs. [top of page]

Q: Can I brew all types of beer on the SBM equipment?

Contrary to the open-vessel fermentation system mainly used in Eastern Europe and Germany, all beer styles can be brewed with our system. This means that a wide variety of ales and lagers can be made. Given the infectious style of Lambics, we do not recommend brewing or packaging these beers on shared equipment. [top of page]

Q: What elements determine the cost of the brewery the most?

There are 4 aspects that determine the cost of a brewery: batch size, yearly capacity, finishes and automation. [top of page]